


music to make boys cry

by KirstieJ



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Communication, F/F, F/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-05 05:12:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4167237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirstieJ/pseuds/KirstieJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written as an aftermath to We Need to Talk. </p><p>Greg catches Rose and Pearl kissing, and initiates a conversation with them about how the three of them can make things work. </p><p>*title is a Diana Vickers song</p>
            </blockquote>





	music to make boys cry

"My Pearl, are you trying to seduce me?" Rose asked, trailing behind the other gem. They were near the outside wall of the temple, having just warped back from another area.

"Rose," Pearl started, placing a hand on her chest. "I would _never,"_ she whispered as she turned to face Rose, eyes heavily lidded.

"Oh, thank goodness. That would just be so," Rose took a deep breath,"inappropriate." She sighed. Rose moved closer to Pearl as Pearl walked backwards with grace, reaching behind her to put her hands on the rocks when she met them.

"Oh, I agree. And we wouldn't want that." Pearl lifted her arm up as Rose leaned down, brushing Rose's hair back.

"No, of course not," Rose said softly. She directly contradicted her words with her next actions, placing a hand on Pearl's waist and closing the distance between them with a kiss.

Pearl responded immediately, kissing her back and moving her hand to Rose's shoulder. Next, she arched her back to let Rose lift her. Rose placed her hand on Pearl's leg and slid her other hand from Pearl's waist to her back to do just that.

Rose moved her hand along Pearl's leg, and brought her closer. Pearl hooked her legs around Rose's body, kissing her all the while. Their mouths were gaining heating and intensity. Pearl gasped as Rose turned them around to lean back on the rocks herself, holding Pearl in her arms.

Moaning against Pearl's lips, Rose shifted her hand again, and Pearl pressed her body closer to Rose's in response. They continued their feverish make out session, Pearl beginning to play with Rose's hair.

As they parted, the two of them were panting. Rose tilted her face forward to press her lips to Pearl's neck. Pearl made a little whining noise in the back of her throat, and Rose hummed pleasantly.

"Hey, Rose!?" A familiar voice called as the man it came from turned the corner towards the temple.

Rose lifted her head some, and Pearl groaned in annoyance as the intruder. "Hello, Greg," Rose smiled, but made no move to change her position.

"What the.. Are you two, uh, ah.. Fusing?" Greg asked, his expression one of mild discomfort.

"Oh, no," Rose said to him. "We're just kissing," she explained. Pearl sighed and put her face into Rose's neck. Why did humans have to ruin things?

"Wait.. What?" Greg took a couple of steps forward, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I thought you kissed to fuse."

"No.. You can kiss without fusing. And fuse without kissing! Pearl and Amethyst don't kiss when they fuse, do you?" Rose poked Pearl in the side, and Pearl mumbled something into her hair. "Don't be so grumpy, Pearl," Rose tsked. They'd talked a bit about Pearl's attitude towards Greg, and while she still wasn't his biggest fan, she understood Rose liked him and had agreed to be more civil with him.

Pearl lifted her head and sighed. Rose stood up, but kept Pearl pressed tightly to her body. Pearl twisted some to look back at Greg. Maybe they should have kept their kissing behind the closed doors of the temple, but oh well. "I don't kiss Amethyst when we fuse."

"Oh... Okay. Uh," Greg walked up to the two of them, rubbing a hand on his forehead. "I think we need to talk," he said, looking at Rose. Pearl began to try to shift away from Rose in order to be let down. "No, Pearl, stay where you're at. You need to be part of this conversation too."

"Alright," Pearl shrugged. She did shift, so she was balanced more on one hip than the other. She detangled her hands from Rose's hair to keep them loosely around Rose's neck.

"Okay," Greg breathed in. He let it out, then looked between the two of them, still embracing each other to some extent. "What exactly is going on between you two? Because I think I've been operating under some pretty false impressions."

Pearl pursed her lips, but glanced to Rose, figuring she would offer the better answer here.

Rose pressed her brows together. "We're.. Uh.. Companions? I'm not really sure how to put it. I wouldn't say 'friends' really describes how we are."

Rose looked over at Pearl, and smiled a bit. Pearl smiled back at her tenderly before looking at Greg. With the utmost sincerity, Pearl said, "Rose means the world to me. She is my liege, I am her knight. Those are the words I've been using for a long time to describe our relationship."

"Ah. Uh, okay. So, is there some sort of, like, courtly love happening here?" Greg looked at Pearl. He was a bit familiar with the trope, and knew it usually involved dedication and pining but no... Consummation of that love.

"We tried something like that," Rose offered. "You know, where she longs from afar for me. It didn't work much. I just couldn't stay away," Rose went from looking at Greg to turning her gaze on Pearl. Pearl was blushing, glancing down as Rose grinned at her, suggestion in her voice.

"Oh, Rose," Pearl giggled. Greg wasn't sure if he'd ever seen her so happy looking as she was now. It filled him with an unsettling feeling, not because he was bothered to see her happy, but he now had a better understanding of why she was treating him so poorly.

"What? You were a little temptress. You still are," Rose purred, leaning to brush her cheek against Pearl's.

Greg looked away, uncomfortable. "So the bottom line is.. You two are a thing?"

Rose looked back up at him. "When we fuse, we become one thing... But this isn't fusion we're talking about."

"No, no. I know that. When two people are seeing each other, dating, in some sort of relationship, humans sometimes call that 'a thing'. It's like.. a less definitive way of saying it, because I'm not sure entirely how you two are together."

"The answer is yes," Pearl said, voice firm and almost harsh.

Rose nudged her again. "It's true, Greg. It sounds like we are, by your definition, most definitely a 'thing' of some sort. We love each other, kiss, cuddle, fuse, and so on. If this makes us a thing, that's what we are."

Greg put his hands in his hair. "No wonder Pearl's been such a bitch to me!" He paused, then winced, saying a quick "Sorry," before he went on. "I didn't realize you two were together for real, I thought it couldn't be like that if you were pursuing me so openly, Rose!" Greg groaned. "I mean, it was still rude, how you handled it, Pearl. But I didn't realize I was basically dating your girlfriend!"

Pearl pursed her lips and looked at Rose, then at Greg. "It's... Okay," she said slowly. "Rose is free to do what she wants. Sometimes it bothers me, but that should be kept between us." Pearl huffed a little. "Rose has made it clear you're important and she cares for you, so I won't be trying to get you to go away any longer."

"Perhaps you should apologize for the things you said," Rose said gently.

"Yes," Pearl agreed, looking at Rose. "I am sorry for saying hurtful things to you. It hurt me that Rose paid less attention to me since you arrived, but I know you're here to stay and I can deal with that."

"Ah, it's alright. I'm tougher than I look. And, like I said, I didn't realize just how close you and Rose are... You tried to tell me, but I didn't bother taking you seriously or asking for clarification on what that meant."

"There. That was nice, wasn't it?" Rose smiled at the both of them.

Pearl and Greg both nodded. Greg looked down at the ground again. He really wasn't sure what this meant, but he still felt kind of rotten.

"So now we have this settled?" Rose pressed her cheek back to Pearl's face, looking down at Greg. "Is everything okay now?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, I think I understand now." Greg looked up at Rose with a weak smile. With Pearl still perched on her hip, Rose leaned down to kiss Greg on the nose, giggling.

Before Rose stood back up, Pearl pulled away from her, and hopped down. She brought herself up to Greg, a frown on her lips. "Are you okay with this?" she asked, slow. She didn't sound like she was accusing him of anything,  but it was hard to tell.

"What do you mean?" Greg asked, ruffling his hair and leaning a bit away from her.

"I mean, I _was_ here first, but Rose wants to be with you. Is it an issue for us both to be with her?" Pearl crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, right," Rose said. "Now that I think of it, I really should have mentioned this to you, Greg. Many humans try to be monogamous, right?" Rose said. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, we do try to be," Greg admitted. "Most of us, really. But, it's not so bad."

"Well, most of you around here are monogamous. Overall, it's changed a few times, and depending where we are..." Rose shook her head. "It's confusing! Humans are cute, but they're all so different," Rose put a hand on her chin, thinking. "Now that we're being a bit more serious, I must admit, again, that I'm not entirely familiar on forming relationships with humans."

"That's okay!" Greg promised, reaching out to take one of Rose's hands. "I'm alright with that. As long as you try. As long as," Greg glanced over at Pearl, "as long as we all try, it can work out!"

Pearl shrugged her shoulders a little bit. "I'm just glad we now all have an understanding that Rose cares for _both_ of us."

"Oh, Pearl," Rose held Greg's hand and put her other on Pearl's shoulders. "I have more than enough love in my being to care _deeply_ about you, Greg, the other gems... And life in general."

Pearl and Greg both looked up at Rose, genuine smiles on their faces. Rose pulled them both close, and they put their arms around her. Inadvertently, they put their arms around each other, too. Neither of them really acknowledged it, content that they were embracing Rose at least.

When the three of them parted ways, Rose leaned down and kissed Pearl on the lips for about five seconds, before turning to do the same to Greg. She kept her hands on their shoulders, and looked between them.

Rose's eyes lit up and a sly grin formed on her plump lips. As she opened them, her eyes fell to the faces of her two lovers. "You two should kiss," she suggested, sounding more casual than her expression would imply.

"What?" Pearl asked, lifting a hand to touch the base of her throat.

Greg pulled a confused face. He hadn't known what Rose was planning on saying when that look took over her face, but he didn't expect that.

"Why not? You'll both kiss me. If I like kissing both of you, it could follow that you'd like to kiss each. Plus, what's that saying? Kiss and be friends."

Greg looked up at Rose, not entirely convinced. He would be okay with it, as long as Pearl was, but he wasn't sure she would be. He'd kissed many people he wasn't exactly into just for the sake of kissing them (usually alcohol played a factor in that, of course) so it wasn't that big of a deal. Especially since Rose wanted to see it.

"Well," Pearl folded her hands together, looking up at Rose as well, "if you want. She then looked at Greg, "if _you_ want." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. She figured Greg probably wouldn't want to kiss her. She really didn't seem his type. Maybe Rainbow would be, Rose obviously was, but Pearl? Nah.

Greg took it as a bit of a challenge, even if Pearl didn't mean it that way (this time, at least). He pressed his lips together, then grinned. "Lay it on me, baby!"

"I'm not your baby," Pearl stuck her chin up. Rose giggled at the two of them.

"Whatever," Greg rolled his eyes, "just come on."

"Fine!" Pearl said, shaking her hands a couple times before moving them apart. She took a deep breath through her nose, suddenly feeling nervous. She'd never kissed a human before. She stared at Greg blankly for a couple moment as he raised his brows at her.

"What are you waiting for?" Rose asked, voice soft but alluring. She bent down, closer to the height of her lovers. She moved to Pearl, whispering in her ear, "Do it."

That bit of encouragement sent Pearl forward, reaching out to hold Greg's face as she pressed their lips together. As she moved, Rose pushed her hand on Pearl's back, causing her to step forward as well. Greg's hands went for Pearl's waist.

Pearl went in with her lips closed, keeping it rather chaste. Greg leaned forward the same way, but he wasn't long poking his tongue out. It gave him a rush to test the limits, see if Pearl would let him any further. She parted her lips, and Rose pushed her hand on Greg's back this time, urging them just a bit closer before their tongues met.

Greg was not expecting it when he heard Pearl gasp as their tongues slid together. He gripped her a little tighter after that, tilting his head to get better access. Her kiss was a lot like Rose's, which made sense, in a way.

Beside them, they both heard as Rose whispered a gentle "yes." Hearing it sent another noise out of Pearl's mouth, and they both went a bit deeper with their kiss, more passionate. Kissing Greg was a lot different than kissing Rose, but it wasn't as bad as she expected. He was more aggressive, bolder, but honestly.. she didn't mind it.

Pearl lifted her other arm to sling over Greg's shoulder. It was different, being with someone so much closer to her own height. Greg ran his thumb over her side, idly, as they continued to make out.

It lasted quite some time, until Greg was feeling too breathless to go on. Neither of them really knew how to end it otherwise. They parted ways, panting and blushing. They were both feeling awkward and weirdly amped.

Pearl's skin prickled as she slowly slid her arms from around Greg, only moving back enough to get her arms between them. He stepped back a little, too, and let go of her hips.

Clearing her throat, Pearl looked away from both of them, using the side of her hand to wipe the excess spit from her mouth.

"How was it? You both looked to be enjoying it," Rose said, hands still on their backs. She looked back and forth between them, eyes entirely lustful.

"It was... surprisingly good," Greg admitted first, because Pearl didn't seem to be giving as much attention.

"Agreed," Pearl said, looking back at both of them.

"Question," Greg said, turned his gaze to Pearl, then back to Rose. "Have you two, ah.... done it?"

"Done what?" Pearl asked.

"Y'know, _it_. Rose, you know." Greg blinked up at her, hoping she got his drift. He knew he'd explained it to her before.

"Oooh, yes of course. And, yes, of course." Rose smiled at him all the while.

Pearl frowned, brows dipping down in her frustration. "Is somebody going to inform me?"

"He's talking about sex," Rose said in a hushed tone, figuring Greg must be sensitive about the topic being expressed outwardly.

"Oh." Pearl blinked, then smiled, playing with a piece of her hair. She looked back over at Greg, "Have you two?"

"Ah, yeah," Greg said. He was surprised Rose hadn't told her that.

"I sorta figured," Pearl said casually. "Well.. that was a good talk."

"Yeah!" Greg agreed. "I'm really glad we had it!"

"Oh, so am I," Rose gushed. She pulled them both into a hug again, then stood back and finally let them go.

"Well, uh... I sorta interrupted you two, so if you'd like to continue with that, I can be on my way," Greg said, motioning with his thumb behind his shoulder.

Pearl opened her mouth, but Rose cut her off with a hum.

"You mightn't have to be going just yet.. This whole conversation, especially the end part there, has me thinking."

"Oh geeze," Greg said under his breath. Pearl's facial expression matched his sentiment.

"Do you think, maybe, the three of us could...?" Rose raised her brows, just suggesting. She wasn't as excitable about it as she was about their kiss, but that was probably because it was a much bigger request.

"Ah, Rose, uh," Pearl started off, putting a hand to her blue tinged face.

"Uh," Greg picked up from where Pearl left off, "I'm not so sure we're ready for _that_ with, y'know, the three of us or anything."

Rose nodded her head. "I understand. I can respect that," Rose grinned. She hummed again, thinking. "What if we fused?" Rose said, almost suddenly, looking at Pearl.

"And then we...?" Pearl looked over at Greg, and Rose nodded. Pearl chewed on her lip. "I think Rainbow would be interested, but."

They turned to look at Greg, this time. Greg blinked, not realizing for the first couple seconds he was supposed to respond. "You mean, that Rainbow Quartz lady from the music video?"

Rose nodded, "That's her. She's a ball to be around. Loves to dance. You'd like her, and she would like you."

Greg swallowed. "That sounds.. pretty cool. Again, though, I think we should take this a little slower, Rose. And Pearl."

Pearl nodded her head, crossing her arms again. "Yeah, that's fine. I mean, maybe someday. But let's not get out of hand with this."

"Yeah, right," Greg said. "We got plenty of time to try new things! We just don't want to jump in without testing the waters a little more first."

Pearl snorted a little, but let it go. "Anyway, it's okay. You don't have to leave. I think I'm going to go spend some time in my room now."

"You sure?" Greg said, as Pearl turned to leave. "You were here first," he said.

Pearl smiled, "I'm sure."

Rose put a hand on Pearl's shoulder to stop her, leaning down for a kiss. Pearl kissed her back, then finally took her leave, walking with grace as well as throwing in some ballet moves on her way to the temple door.

Greg and Rose watched her go, then looked back to each other. "That sure was something," Greg said, laughing a bit nervously.

"Thank you so much for initiating this conversation, Greg. I think it really helped us. All of us."

Greg nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely! I'm glad it happened, too. I hope we're all happier for it."

"I think we will be," Rose said, voice soft. Greg took a step forward and Rose opened her arms again. They hugged, and she kissed him.

Everything had a soft edge to it for a while as the two kept each other company near the warp pad. Greg was happy to have learned a bit more about Rose, and about Pearl. He wasn't very familiar with their alien romance, but he had a feeling it could work out for the best between them all. He was hopeful, at least.


End file.
